Flatland

I went into *Flatland* expecting a dusty period piece, but Harburgh’s narration turned it into a sleek, unsettling allegory that feels ripped from today’s headlines. His delivery of A. Square’s moralizing about the dangers of ‘unregulated thinking’ is chillingly on point, delivered with the clipped cadence of a bureaucrat who’s just discovered rebellion. The real magic happens during the Sphere’s appearance, where Harburgh’s voice literally *unfolds*—his pitch rises as if straining against the 2D plane, then snaps into a three-dimensional clarity that’s physically satisfying to hear. The pacing is brisk, but not rushed; Abbott’s social commentary on gender, class, and conformity never feels preachy because Harburgh sells the absurdity of it all with a straight face. My only gripe? The closing philosophical musings drag slightly—Abbott’s late-stage moralizing feels like a lecture from a slightly pompous uncle, and Harburgh can’t quite sell the tonal shift. Still, the payoff of the final revelation is worth the slight slog. For fans of dystopian fiction with a cerebral edge, this is a must-listen—and Harburgh’s performance makes it feel like a rediscovery, not a rehash.